Six children injured in Newmarket truck accident

NEWMARKET — Six children were transported to local hospitals after the vehicle they were riding in went over a small embankment on Sunday evening.

The accident happened at about 6:09 p.m. at a family gathering behind 358 Wadleigh Falls Road.

Fire Chief Rick Malasky said he believes the family was having a party to celebrate their impending move from the area. The parents took the children for a ride in the back of a 2006 blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck to a field behind the house.

The parents did not realize gravel from a nearby gravel pit in the area had been removed and instead of a roadway, there was about a 10- to 12-foot embankment on the property.

"They drove off the edge of a small cliff," he said. "The seven kids who were riding in the back of a pickup truck were ejected from the vehicle."

Authorities did not release the names of the victims on Sunday night, citing privacy reasons.

All of the children were between the age of six and 15 and suffered a variety of injuries to their heads, eyes, ribs and pelvic areas, Malasky said. He did not know the extent or severity of the injuries, but said they were serious. He believed one patient may needed to be airlifted to another hospital. Four of the children were transported to Exeter Hospital and two to Portsmouth Regional Hospital. Others were treated at the scene.

About 30 people assisted at the scene including the Newmarket, Epping and Stratham Fire departments with their respective ambulances, as well as the McGregor ambulance from Durham.

No further information was available Sunday night.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.